Method of providing a cooked meat and sauce package



May 5, 1964 N. R. BECK 3,132,029

METHOD OF PROVIDING A COOKED MEAT AND SACE PACKAGE Filed June 2. 1961 "Efe-512:5.:

INVENTOR N. R. BECK FIGB BY f/@-MM ATTORNEY l United States Patent 3,132,029 g e METHD F PROVIDING A CGQKED MEAT AND SAUCE PACKAGE Nicholas Robert Beck, 1919 W. Main St.,

. `Rnssellville,Ark. sind rane z, 196i, seeNe. 114,455

i 1 Claim. (Cl. 99-174) ments. However, these proceduresaffect the `palatability by altering the flavor or texture and the product may require substantial additional processing before itis consumed. K Y L In relatively recent times, various commodities have been packaged in cans after having been cooked, and these have been safe to store for substantial periods of time. Packaging in cans is relatively costly and requires the use of containers of substantialweight and ofixed shape and lee though the invention may be yuseful in the packaging of other commodities. The preferred procedure includes providing a measured quantity of meat portions or slices from which all bone and substantially all the fat has been removed and placing it together with a measured quantity of'relatively thick sauce at a temperature in excess of 80 F. within the container, attening the air space within the container to remove most of the air, sealing the container, retorting the package Vpromptly after sealing at an appropriate cooking andsterilizing temperature for an appropriate time and with the application of sufficient pressure to prevent the internalpressure from damagingthe container, and cooling the package while maintaining such pressure'. Y l f .In one specific application of the invention, packages of turkey and giblet gravy have been produced. In producing these containers l0 of a` size suitable lfor individual servings an appropriate size has been found to be 6 inches by 7 inches. Although these packages may be produced from various substances, a lamination of aluminum foil j with other strengthening and sealing materials such as size and which are diflcultto open without the use of a y special tool. and iniiexible and may present problems in packing, transporting and disposal after use.

Still more recently both raw and cooked commodities Vhave been packagedin containers which are refrigerated. Refrigerated commodities have met widespread acceptance but require refrigeration until just before consumption.

Various attempts have been made to produce a exible packageV for a commodity such as foods. However, except for dried or relatively dry foodstulfgliexibly pack- Y aged foods available heretofore have not been successful for various reasons including excessive production costs i or because the quality of the product has been below that which is acceptable.

Furthermore, the cans are relatively hard Accordingly, it is an object lof the present'invention to provide' a flexible package of a commodity such as a food product including a liquidportion which will keep indeiinitely at ordinary temperatures and is in a complete form ready for consumption.

A further object of the present invention is to yprovide a'iiexible relatively iiat package of precooked meat and sauce which will keep indefinitely without refrigeration and which is ready lfor consumption upon opening of the package. Y t

`A furtherobject is to provide a method for preparing 1 aipackaged food commodity such as meat and sauce, and

which is relatively simple and inexpensive, and in which the true axor and texture of the product is retained indefinitely at ordinary temperatures.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a perspective of a package in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2, a section, with the containers material magnil j ed out of proportion, of a fragmentary section on the line 2-2 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3, a diagrammatic representation of cookingapparatus illustrative of that which may be employed in practicing the invention.

Brieiiy stated, the present invention includes a relatively i polyethylene and cellophane have been found satisfactory. The polyethylene is desirably on the inner surface of the foil and may be heat sealed to itself. The cellophane on the outside provides added resistance to moisture and bacteria.V The foil protects the products against variousV rays `which might affect its quality. The polyethylene or other material must be one which does not react appreciably with the commodity and which is preferably selfsealing onthe application of heat and pressure,`although suitable adhesives may be used with materials which are not self-sealing. Such packaging material is commercially available and the selection of an appropriate material depends on the product being packaged and other facts well known in the art. Y Another laminate which may be used with the foil in'- stead of cellophane is Mylan which is made by the condensation of ethylene "glycol with terephthalic acid.

The combinedthickness of the laminated or coated packaging material may be about 5 mils and still provide adequate strength and protection. Thicker materials may be used forradditional strength Where rugged conditions are anticipated. g

" Prior to filling the package blanks are formed by sealling at the margins at the bottom and sides, leaving the top open.

Although various size packages such as Vthat described may be lled with varyingjamounts of materials, it is contemplated that the same will be relatively flat when iilled. Such'atness not only promotes heat transfer but also provides a package'whichoccupies little volume and which may be preferredf for certain uses such as in individual rations for the Armed Forces, in vending machines and for individual servings.

Accordingly, in the package illustrated, a total of approximately 5 ounces of commodity may be placed.- The commodity, in one example, has consisted of approximately 21/2 ounces of raw, fat trimmed, deboned meat, ysuch as turkey. It is desirable that the fat be substantially completely removed or at most notto exceed 10% Vof the combined weight of itself andthe meat since the fat tends `to attack certain of the packaging materials.

`The meat is placed in the package while the meat is at room temperature either before or after or simultane- ,ously with the insertion of a similar quantity of sauce. The sauce or gravy is thicker than that ordinarily prepared since the juices from the meat during cooking will be added, thus thinning it. Such sauce commonly, consists of a mixture'of broth, our, starch, salt and spices. These are blended and partially cooked before insertion into the package in order to provide a relatively smooth mixture ofthe ingredients and to drive excess air out of the 'package before vitis sealed. It is important for an attractive 'product ythat `the Vsauce be in a smooth blended condition and ordinarily this requires that it be at a tempe'rature in the 'range of 80 F. to 160 F. .Although it is preferred that the gravy vbe placed inthe package at elevated temperature for the reasons given, it may be possible to produce a satisfactory sauce by the use of gelatinized starch or a form of alginate which does not 'require'heating in order to produce a relatively smooth sauce 'with its ingredients in suspension. However, my preferred method is to lemploy a heated sauce in order to assist in driving excess air out of the package prior to sealing it.

Promptly vafter the commodity is placed into the container the air space at its top is flattened, either manually orot'herwise, andthe top margin sealed. Then, as soon as possible, the package is cooked. It is necessary that such cooking occur before bacteria have had an opportunity to multiply to a harmful degree. In ordinary iircumsta'nces this requires cooking to begin within one our.

Apreferred method of cooking the package and which vis adapted for the cooking of a large number isto'place them on racks 20 within a pressure cooker vessel 21, the packages being stacked rwith spaces therebetween in 'order to permit the -free circulation of heating media. The pressure cooker is provided with an inlet 22 for steam or other media, having a control valve 23, and an air vent 24 withl a control valve 25. Initially, during entry of the steam into the vessel 21, the air vent 24 is opened in order to permit the `escape of air therefrom, thus vpermitting the obtaining of a uniform temperature throughout the vessel. and pressure may be used, depending on the nature of the commodity and the size of the packages, temperatures inthe range of 230 `to 260fJ F. being generally used.V 4Food packages such as. that described may be satisfactorily cooked 'at 240 F. at about 10 lbs. per square inch gage.

n Initially, steam is constantly-'admitted and air vented until the temperature within the vessel reaches approximately 240 F., requiring about 5 minutes in one installation. Then the temperature is maintained automatically by well-known control devices which admit steam as required for the maintenance of the desired temperature. Such control device may include a valve 28 in the steam line which-Vis controlled byrthermostat 29 in the vessel. After theY required temperature is reachedV in the vessel the air vent is closed and the cooking time reckoned therefrom. For packages such as that described, cooking for 30 minutes has been successfully used. Approximately 20 minutes Aof such time may be required for the contents of the packages to reach 230 F.

After the completion of the cooking cycle, the steam line 22 is closed and cooling begins. Since the vapor pressure of the commodity within each package increases with a rise in temperature, it is necessary that this be Steam of Varying temperature` is heated to a temperature of approximately 230 to 260 for approximately 30 minutes while maintaining an external pressure of approximately l pounds per square inch gauge on the container and during cooling the pressure is increased toqapproximately 12 pounds to pounds vper square Ainch gauge.

After the lcompletion of the cooking the packages may be rapidly cooled by Various means such as a water spray from pipes 37 Within the vessel, such cooling time ordinarily requiring about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size, type and ilatness vof the packages. After the packages are removed from the vessel, they may be further rapidly cooled by refrigeration Vsuch as the application of water at lower temperatures.

The packages are tough, llexible and relatively llat and may be handled, transported and stored for an indenite length of` time as in the caseY of conventional canned goods. 'r

As a precaution, after cooling the packages may be stored for observation at normal or higher temperatures for a period of about 10 days in order to observe whether there is any pulling due to bacterial growth.

The tops of the package preferablyhave identations V36 along the margins in order that a strip 38 may be easily removed for opening thepackage. The contents may be consumed directly from the package with or iwithout heating-or the package may .be warmed prior thereto to increase palatability.

The package is especially useful for institutions, in vending machines, for hotels, restaurants, hospitals, campers, and travelers, and by the Armed Forces.

Due to the fact that the package is relatively thin, its contents may be rapidly heated to improve the palatability As a result ofits light weight and llexibility, it requires less volume for shipping and inventory than canned products. Furthermore, since it is relatively soft and flexible, it may be easily packed in v personal belongings or carried `on the person in a handbag or pocket.` It may-be easily warmed to body temperature by being carried in an inside pocket of a garment or. next tothe body for a brief time before consumption and may be easily opened and the contents consumed' directly from the package under adverse conditions such as in vehicles or under cover of darkness, and withoutA requiring any instrument for opening or eating. The Vused Lpackage takes up a minimum of space compensated by external pressure, otherwise rupture or duit 32 having a control valve 33,and automatic control valve 34 connected vto pressure responsive member 35 within the vessel. The air is introduced until the pressure within the vessel rises about 2 to 5 lbs. above that existing with the-steam and such pressure level is maintained after thesteam is cut olf until the produce has cooledto below about 200 F.

As"an example of the foregoing, the sealed container when empty 'and may be easily concealed, thus minimizing the refuse disposal problem.

Accordingly, it will be understood that the present invention includes a lightweight, relatively flexible, package including a container for protecting the commodity against rays, moisture and foreign substances, and which is sufficiently tough for ordinary handling, and which contains a cooked, preserved commodity such as relatively fat-free pieces of meat of normal texture and ilav'or in an appropriate palatable sauce whereby the meat and the sauce may be stored indenitely'or made available for consumption by easily opening the package without any instrument. Teh invention also includes the method of producing'such package inexpensively and suitable for quantity production and which preserves the commodity for a long period of time without the necessity for refrigeration.

It will be obvious by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the describedillustration v placing pieces of raw relatively fat-free meat having Y natural juices therein and a thick blended sauce mixture Within the container in an amount small enough to permit the container to remain relatively flat when sealed, removing excess air from the container and sealing its open end, heating the sealed container at a temperature of approximately 230 to 260 F. for a period of time sufficient to cook the meat and sauce and sterilize the contents of the container while maintaining an external pressure on the container adequate to prevent rupture from internal forces, the natural juices from the meat combining with and thinning the sauce during such heating, and cooling the package while maintaining sulicient external pressure thereon to prevent damage to the container from internal pressure.

6 References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,058,682 Atkinson Apr. 8, 1913 2,231,791 Bensel Feb. 11, 1941 2,369,765 Waters Feb. 20, 1945 2,380,134 Waters July 10, 1945 2,398,082 Cavallito Apr. 4, 1946 2,633,284 Moiett et al Mar. 3l, 1953 2,807,550 Zarotschenzeif et a1 Sept. 24, 1957 2,881,078 Oritt Apr. 7, 1959 3,037,869 Esson et al June 5, 1962 OTHER REFERENCES Refrigerating Engineering, February 1954, pages 45 to 48, inclusive, article entitled Protective Packaging of Frozen Foods, by Woodruff and Rabak. 

